Bug FAQLeptothorax muscorum
Leptothorax muscorum · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
It prefers wooded areas, scrubland, mountain meadows, and is often found under stones, in bark, rotting wood, or moss.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
This species belongs to the ant genus Leptothorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives mainly in forests such as aspen and coniferous woods, especially in mountainous regions with limited ground foliage. Colonies are commonly found under stones, in tree bark, rotting wood, and moss.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The ant can survive extreme Arctic-Alpine conditions and may be the northernmost ant in the Western Hemisphere.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, California, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What habitats does this ant prefer?
It favors wooded areas like aspen and conifer forests, scrubland, open mountain meadows, and nests under stones, in bark, rotting wood, or moss.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptothorax_muscorum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.